The 5 Richest People In Korean Entertainment Right Now Might Surprise You
Byul Byul Talk Show has revealed the top 5 richest stockholders in the Korean entertainment business. According to the show, #1 is Lee Soo Man, #2 Yang Hyun Suk, #3 JYP, #4 Bae Yong Joon and #5 Park Soon Ae.
Lee Soo Man holds stocks worth over $145 million USD!
Lee Soo Man used to be a singer, DJ and TV host before he established SM Studio (SM Entertainment) in 1989. He modeled his company after the emerging pop culture of the United States.
His massive stockholdings derive from the empire that he built which has been managing some of the most famous K-Pop stars since the 1st-generation idols.
SM Entertainment has managed S.E.S, H.O.T., Shinhwa, Boa, TVXQ, Super Junior and many more!
Yang Hyun Suk, who came in second, has stocks worth over $88 million USD.
Yang Hyun Suk, who was formerly a member of the hit group Seo Taiji and Boys, established YG Entertainment in 1998. The most notable artists from the agency include Jinusean, 1TYM, Se7en, BIGBANG and 2NE1.
JYP, who is also a singer and founder of JYP Entertainment, has produced successful artists including GOD, Park Ji Yoon, Rain, Byul, Wonder Girls, 2AM, 2PM, etc. He holds stocks worth over $68 million USD.
JYP was a man who was ahead of his time as he had attempted numerous fashion styles and concepts in the 90’s that were not readily accepted by the Korean society. At the same time, he had extremely keen insight which he eventually used to produce his successful artists.
In fourth place is actor Bae Yong Joon with $44.6 million USD who rose to fame after his drama Winter Sonata, which earned him the nickname Yon-Sama by his Japanese fans.
Bae Yong Joon is the largest shareholder of KEYEAST with 24.51% but his deal with SM Entertainment will leave him with 4.05% of SM Entertainment, making him the 3rd largest shareholder in SM from May 14.
KEYEAST holds a stellar lineup of actors and artists, such as Han Ye Seul, Kim Soo Hyun, Ahn So Hee, Uhm Jung Hwa and more.
And finally in rank #5 is actress Park Soon Ae. Park Soon Ae’s stocks amount to about $21.5 million USD.
She retired from the entertainment business in 1994 when she married her husband Lee Han Yong, the president of Pungguk Ethanol. She holds 13.29% of the company’s stock.
